Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Teachers union accuses CPS of emotional blackmail over longer school day

The Chicago teachers union continues to shoot themselves in the foot, going berserk about teachers at a few schools choosing to extend the school day (with a great graphic showing how absurdly short to CPS school day is):

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard raised the stakes Tuesday in their effort to add 90 minutes to Chicago's school day by offering financial incentives to all elementary schools that adopt the plan even as negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union have stalled.

Furious union officials accused Chicago Public Schools of using "emotional blackmail" against teachers at three elementaries who approved the contract waivers Friday, and they filed a labor grievance with CPS, hoping to eventually nullify those votes.

CPS and the union are in the middle of negotiations over 4 percent across-the-board raises in the union contract that the Board of Education withdrew in June. Two weeks ago, the union rejected Brizard's offer to exchange a 2 percent salary increase for a longer school day, and neither side has asked to schedule new negotiating sessions.

So Emanuel and Brizard went directly to the teachers.

"Three schools took a step forward," Emanuel said Tuesday morning, the first day of school for most CPS students. "Other schools, other principals, other teachers want to do the same."

…"I love it," said parent Myriam Miranda. "My daughter was in kindergarten from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at another school, and now she's in first grade and reading at second-grade level. It was because they had 1 1/2 hours of reading every day."

…"There is pressure being put on teachers plus a monetary inducement to go along with it," said CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey. "To me, it's a bribe."

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Teachers union accuses CPS of emotional blackmail over longer school day